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Stirbet A, Guo Y, Lazár D, Govindjee G. From leaf to multiscale models of photosynthesis: applications and challenges for crop improvement. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2024; 161:21-49. [PMID: 38619700 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-024-01083-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
To keep up with the growth of human population and to circumvent deleterious effects of global climate change, it is essential to enhance crop yield to achieve higher production. Here we review mathematical models of oxygenic photosynthesis that are extensively used, and discuss in depth a subset that accounts for diverse approaches providing solutions to our objective. These include models (1) to study different ways to enhance photosynthesis, such as fine-tuning antenna size, photoprotection and electron transport; (2) to bioengineer carbon metabolism; and (3) to evaluate the interactions between the process of photosynthesis and the seasonal crop dynamics, or those that have included statistical whole-genome prediction methods to quantify the impact of photosynthesis traits on the improvement of crop yield. We conclude by emphasizing that the results obtained in these studies clearly demonstrate that mathematical modelling is a key tool to examine different approaches to improve photosynthesis for better productivity, while effective multiscale crop models, especially those that also include remote sensing data, are indispensable to verify different strategies to obtain maximized crop yields.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ya Guo
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Process Control for Light Industry, Ministry of Education Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Dušan Lazár
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Palacký Univesity, Šlechtitelů 27, 78371, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Govindjee Govindjee
- Department of Biochemistry, Department of Plant Biology, and the Center of Biophysics & Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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Kandoi D, Tripathy BC. Overexpression of chloroplastic Zea mays NADP-malic enzyme (ZmNADP-ME) confers tolerance to salt stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2023; 158:57-76. [PMID: 37561272 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-023-01041-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
The C4 plants photosynthesize better than C3 plants especially in arid environment. As an attempt to genetically convert C3 plant to C4, the cDNA of decarboxylating C4 type NADP-malic enzyme from Zea mays (ZmNADP-ME) that has lower Km for malate and NADP than its C3 isoforms, was overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana under the control of 35S promoter. Due to increased activity of NADP-ME in the transgenics the malate decarboxylation increased that resulted in loss of carbon skeletons needed for amino acid and protein synthesis. Consequently, amino acid and protein content of the transgenics declined. Therefore, the Chl content, photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm), electron transport rate (ETR), the quantum yield of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, rosette diameter, and biomass were lower in the transgenics. However, in salt stress (150 mM NaCl), the overexpressers had higher Chl, protein content, Fv/Fm, ETR, and biomass than the vector control. NADPH generated in the transgenics due to increased malate decarboxylation, contributed to augmented synthesis of proline, the osmoprotectant required to alleviate the reactive oxygen species-mediated membrane damage and oxidative stress. Consequently, the glutathione peroxidase activity increased and H2O2 content decreased in the salt-stressed transgenics. The reduced membrane lipid peroxidation and lower malondialdehyde production resulted in better preservation, of thylakoid integrity and membrane architecture in the transgenics under saline environment. Our results clearly demonstrate that overexpression of C4 chloroplastic ZmNADP-ME in the C3 Arabidopsis thaliana, although decrease their photosynthetic efficiency, protects the transgenics from salinity stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepika Kandoi
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
- Department of Life Sciences, Sharda University, Greater Noida, UP, 201310, India
| | - Baishnab C Tripathy
- Department of Biotechnology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, UP, 201310, India.
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3
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Arce Cubas L, Rodrigues Gabriel Sales C, Vath RL, Bernardo EL, Burnett AC, Kromdijk J. Lessons from relatives: C4 photosynthesis enhances CO2 assimilation during the low-light phase of fluctuations. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 193:1073-1090. [PMID: 37335935 PMCID: PMC10517189 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Despite the global importance of species with C4 photosynthesis, there is a lack of consensus regarding C4 performance under fluctuating light. Contrasting hypotheses and experimental evidence suggest that C4 photosynthesis is either less or more efficient in fixing carbon under fluctuating light than the ancestral C3 form. Two main issues have been identified that may underly the lack of consensus: neglect of evolutionary distance between selected C3 and C4 species and use of contrasting fluctuating light treatments. To circumvent these issues, we measured photosynthetic responses to fluctuating light across 3 independent phylogenetically controlled comparisons between C3 and C4 species from Alloteropsis, Flaveria, and Cleome genera under 21% and 2% O2. Leaves were subjected to repetitive stepwise changes in light intensity (800 and 100 µmol m-2 s-1 photon flux density) with 3 contrasting durations: 6, 30, and 300 s. These experiments reconciled the opposing results found across previous studies and showed that (i) stimulation of CO2 assimilation in C4 species during the low-light phase was both stronger and more sustained than in C3 species; (ii) CO2 assimilation patterns during the high-light phase could be attributable to species or C4 subtype differences rather than photosynthetic pathway; and (iii) the duration of each light step in the fluctuation regime can strongly influence experimental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucίa Arce Cubas
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EA Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Richard L Vath
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EA Cambridge, UK
| | - Emmanuel L Bernardo
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EA Cambridge, UK
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna 4031, Philippines
| | - Angela C Burnett
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EA Cambridge, UK
| | - Johannes Kromdijk
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EA Cambridge, UK
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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Wang Y, Smith JAC, Zhu XG, Long SP. Rethinking the potential productivity of crassulacean acid metabolism by integrating metabolic dynamics with shoot architecture, using the example of Agave tequilana. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 239:2180-2196. [PMID: 37537720 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Terrestrial CAM plants typically occur in hot semiarid regions, yet can show high crop productivity under favorable conditions. To achieve a more mechanistic understanding of CAM plant productivity, a biochemical model of diel metabolism was developed and integrated with 3-D shoot morphology to predict the energetics of light interception and photosynthetic carbon assimilation. Using Agave tequilana as an example, this biochemical model faithfully simulated the four diel phases of CO2 and metabolite dynamics during the CAM rhythm. After capturing the 3-D form over an 8-yr production cycle, a ray-tracing method allowed the prediction of the light microclimate across all photosynthetic surfaces. Integration with the biochemical model thereby enabled the simulation of plant and stand carbon uptake over daily and annual courses. The theoretical maximum energy conversion efficiency of Agave spp. is calculated at 0.045-0.049, up to 7% higher than for C3 photosynthesis. Actual light interception, and biochemical and anatomical limitations, reduced this to 0.0069, or 15.6 Mg ha-1 yr-1 dry mass annualized over an 8-yr cropping cycle, consistent with observation. This is comparable to the productivity of many C3 crops, demonstrating the potential of CAM plants in climates where little else may be grown while indicating strategies that could raise their productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - J Andrew C Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular Genetics, Center of Excellence for Molecular, Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Stephen P Long
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
- Departments of Plant Biology and of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
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Arce Cubas L, Vath RL, Bernardo EL, Sales CRG, Burnett AC, Kromdijk J. Activation of CO 2 assimilation during photosynthetic induction is slower in C 4 than in C 3 photosynthesis in three phylogenetically controlled experiments. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 13:1091115. [PMID: 36684779 PMCID: PMC9848656 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1091115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Despite their importance for the global carbon cycle and crop production, species with C4 photosynthesis are still somewhat understudied relative to C3 species. Although the benefits of the C4 carbon concentrating mechanism are readily observable under optimal steady state conditions, it is less clear how the presence of C4 affects activation of CO2 assimilation during photosynthetic induction. METHODS In this study we aimed to characterise differences between C4 and C3 photosynthetic induction responses by analysing steady state photosynthesis and photosynthetic induction in three phylogenetically linked pairs of C3 and C4 species from Alloteropsis, Flaveria, and Cleome genera. Experiments were conducted both at 21% and 2% O2 to evaluate the role of photorespiration during photosynthetic induction. RESULTS Our results confirm C4 species have slower activation of CO2 assimilation during photosynthetic induction than C3 species, but the apparent mechanism behind these differences varied between genera. Incomplete suppression of photorespiration was found to impact photosynthetic induction significantly in C4 Flaveria bidentis, whereas in the Cleome and Alloteropsis C4 species, delayed activation of the C3 cycle appeared to limit induction and a potentially supporting role for photorespiration was also identified. DISCUSSION The sheer variation in photosynthetic induction responses observed in our limited sample of species highlights the importance of controlling for evolutionary distance when comparing C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Arce Cubas
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Richard L. Vath
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Emmanuel L. Bernardo
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- University of the Philippines Los Baños, Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science, College, Laguna, Philippines
| | | | - Angela C. Burnett
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Johannes Kromdijk
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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6
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Zhao H, Wang Y, Lyu MJA, Zhu XG. Two major metabolic factors for an efficient NADP-malic enzyme type C4 photosynthesis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 189:84-98. [PMID: 35166833 PMCID: PMC9070817 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Compared to the large number of studies focused on the factors controlling C3 photosynthesis efficiency, there are relatively fewer studies of the factors controlling photosynthetic efficiency in C4 leaves. Here, we used a dynamic systems model of C4 photosynthesis based on maize (Zea mays) to identify features associated with high photosynthetic efficiency in NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME) type C4 photosynthesis. We found that two additional factors related to coordination between C4 shuttle metabolism and C3 metabolism are required for efficient C4 photosynthesis: (1) accumulating a high concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate through maintaining a large PGA concentration in the mesophyll cell chloroplast and (2) maintaining a suitable oxidized status in bundle sheath cell chloroplasts. These identified mechanisms are in line with the current cellular location of enzymes/proteins involved in the starch synthesis, the Calvin-Benson cycle and photosystem II of NADP-ME type C4 photosynthesis. These findings suggested potential strategies for improving C4 photosynthesis and engineering C4 rice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglong Zhao
- Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yu Wang
- The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Ming-Ju Amy Lyu
- Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
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Clark TJ, Schwender J. Elucidation of Triacylglycerol Overproduction in the C 4 Bioenergy Crop Sorghum bicolor by Constraint-Based Analysis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:787265. [PMID: 35251073 PMCID: PMC8892208 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.787265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Upregulation of triacylglycerols (TAGs) in vegetative plant tissues such as leaves has the potential to drastically increase the energy density and biomass yield of bioenergy crops. In this context, constraint-based analysis has the promise to improve metabolic engineering strategies. Here we present a core metabolism model for the C4 biomass crop Sorghum bicolor (iTJC1414) along with a minimal model for photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, sucrose and TAG biosynthesis in C3 plants. Extending iTJC1414 to a four-cell diel model we simulate C4 photosynthesis in mature leaves with the principal photo-assimilatory product being replaced by TAG produced at different levels. Independent of specific pathways and per unit carbon assimilated, energy content and biosynthetic demands in reducing equivalents are about 1.3 to 1.4 times higher for TAG than for sucrose. For plant generic pathways, ATP- and NADPH-demands per CO2 assimilated are higher by 1.3- and 1.5-fold, respectively. If the photosynthetic supply in ATP and NADPH in iTJC1414 is adjusted to be balanced for sucrose as the sole photo-assimilatory product, overproduction of TAG is predicted to cause a substantial surplus in photosynthetic ATP. This means that if TAG synthesis was the sole photo-assimilatory process, there could be an energy imbalance that might impede the process. Adjusting iTJC1414 to a photo-assimilatory rate that approximates field conditions, we predict possible daily rates of TAG accumulation, dependent on varying ratios of carbon partitioning between exported assimilates and accumulated oil droplets (TAG, oleosin) and in dependence of activation of futile cycles of TAG synthesis and degradation. We find that, based on the capacity of leaves for photosynthetic synthesis of exported assimilates, mature leaves should be able to reach a 20% level of TAG per dry weight within one month if only 5% of the photosynthetic net assimilation can be allocated into oil droplets. From this we conclude that high TAG levels should be achievable if TAG synthesis is induced only during a final phase of the plant life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa J. Clark
- Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, United States
| | - Jorg Schwender
- Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, United States
- Department of Energy Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, Upton, NY, United States
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8
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Takeuchi M, Amao Y. Biocatalytic fumarate synthesis from pyruvate and CO 2 as a feedstock. REACT CHEM ENG 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2re00039c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The biocatalytic synthesis of fumarate from CO2 and pyruvate vial-malate as an intermediate in an aqueous medium using a biocatalytic system consisting of malate dehydrogenase and fumarase in the presence of NADH is developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mika Takeuchi
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Yutaka Amao
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
- Research Centre of Artificial Photosynthesis (ReCAP), Osaka Metropolitan University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
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9
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Shameer S, Wang Y, Bota P, Ratcliffe RG, Long SP, Sweetlove LJ. A hybrid kinetic and constraint-based model of leaf metabolism allows predictions of metabolic fluxes in different environments. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 109:295-313. [PMID: 34699645 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
While flux balance analysis (FBA) provides a framework for predicting steady-state leaf metabolic network fluxes, it does not readily capture the response to environmental variables without being coupled to other modelling formulations. To address this, we coupled an FBA model of 903 reactions of soybean (Glycine max) leaf metabolism with e-photosynthesis, a dynamic model that captures the kinetics of 126 reactions of photosynthesis and associated chloroplast carbon metabolism. Successful coupling was achieved in an iterative formulation in which fluxes from e-photosynthesis were used to constrain the FBA model and then, in turn, fluxes computed from the FBA model used to update parameters in e-photosynthesis. This process was repeated until common fluxes in the two models converged. Coupling did not hamper the ability of the kinetic module to accurately predict the carbon assimilation rate, photosystem II electron flux, and starch accumulation of field-grown soybean at two CO2 concentrations. The coupled model also allowed accurate predictions of additional parameters such as nocturnal respiration, as well as analysis of the effect of light intensity and elevated CO2 on leaf metabolism. Predictions included an unexpected decrease in the rate of export of sucrose from the leaf at high light, due to altered starch-sucrose partitioning, and altered daytime flux modes in the tricarboxylic acid cycle at elevated CO2 . Mitochondrial fluxes were notably different between growing and mature leaves, with greater anaplerotic, tricarboxylic acid cycle and mitochondrial ATP synthase fluxes predicted in the former, primarily to provide carbon skeletons and energy for protein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanu Shameer
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Yu Wang
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Pedro Bota
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - R George Ratcliffe
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Stephen P Long
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Lee J Sweetlove
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
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Johnson JE, Field CB, Berry JA. The limiting factors and regulatory processes that control the environmental responses of C 3, C 3-C 4 intermediate, and C 4 photosynthesis. Oecologia 2021; 197:841-866. [PMID: 34714387 PMCID: PMC8591018 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05062-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Here, we describe a model of C3, C3-C4 intermediate, and C4 photosynthesis that is designed to facilitate quantitative analysis of physiological measurements. The model relates the factors limiting electron transport and carbon metabolism, the regulatory processes that coordinate these metabolic domains, and the responses to light, carbon dioxide, and temperature. It has three unique features. First, mechanistic expressions describe how the cytochrome b6f complex controls electron transport in mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts. Second, the coupling between the mesophyll and bundle sheath expressions represents how feedback regulation of Cyt b6f coordinates electron transport and carbon metabolism. Third, the temperature sensitivity of Cyt b6f is differentiated from that of the coupling between NADPH, Fd, and ATP production. Using this model, we present simulations demonstrating that the light dependence of the carbon dioxide compensation point in C3-C4 leaves can be explained by co-occurrence of light saturation in the mesophyll and light limitation in the bundle sheath. We also present inversions demonstrating that population-level variation in the carbon dioxide compensation point in a Type I C3-C4 plant, Flaveria chloraefolia, can be explained by variable allocation of photosynthetic capacity to the bundle sheath. These results suggest that Type I C3-C4 intermediate plants adjust pigment and protein distributions to optimize the glycine shuttle under different light and temperature regimes, and that the malate and aspartate shuttles may have originally functioned to smooth out the energy supply and demand associated with the glycine shuttle. This model has a wide range of potential applications to physiological, ecological, and evolutionary questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Johnson
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Christopher B Field
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, 473 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Joseph A Berry
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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11
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Zhao HL, Chang TG, Xiao Y, Zhu XG. Potential metabolic mechanisms for inhibited chloroplast nitrogen assimilation under high CO2. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 187:1812-1833. [PMID: 34618071 PMCID: PMC8566258 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Improving photosynthesis is considered a major and feasible option to dramatically increase crop yield potential. Increased atmospheric CO2 concentration often stimulates both photosynthesis and crop yield, but decreases protein content in the main C3 cereal crops. This decreased protein content in crops constrains the benefits of elevated CO2 on crop yield and affects their nutritional value for humans. To support studies of photosynthetic nitrogen assimilation and its complex interaction with photosynthetic carbon metabolism for crop improvement, we developed a dynamic systems model of plant primary metabolism, which includes the Calvin-Benson cycle, the photorespiration pathway, starch synthesis, glycolysis-gluconeogenesis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and chloroplastic nitrogen assimilation. This model successfully captures responses of net photosynthetic CO2 uptake rate (A), respiration rate, and nitrogen assimilation rate to different irradiance and CO2 levels. We then used this model to predict inhibition of nitrogen assimilation under elevated CO2. The potential mechanisms underlying inhibited nitrogen assimilation under elevated CO2 were further explored with this model. Simulations suggest that enhancing the supply of α-ketoglutarate is a potential strategy to maintain high rates of nitrogen assimilation under elevated CO2. This model can be used as a heuristic tool to support research on interactions between photosynthesis, respiration, and nitrogen assimilation. It also provides a basic framework to support the design and engineering of C3 plant primary metabolism for enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and nitrogen assimilation in the coming high-CO2 world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Long Zhao
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- National Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Tian-Gen Chang
- National Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yi Xiao
- National Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- National Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
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12
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Tofanello VR, Andrade LM, Flores-Borges DNA, Kiyota E, Mayer JLS, Creste S, Machado EC, Yin X, Struik PC, Ribeiro RV. Role of bundle sheath conductance in sustaining photosynthesis competence in sugarcane plants under nitrogen deficiency. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2021; 149:275-287. [PMID: 34091828 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-021-00848-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The role of bundle sheath conductance (gbs) in sustaining sugarcane photosynthesis under nitrogen deficiency was investigated. Sugarcane was grown under different levels of nitrogen supply and gbs was estimated using simultaneous measurements of leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence at 21% or 2% [O2] and varying air [CO2] and light intensity. Maximum rates of PEPC carboxylation, Rubisco carboxylation, and ATP production increased with an increase in leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC) from 1 to 3 g m-2. Low nitrogen supply reduced Rubisco and PEPC abundancies, the quantum efficiency of CO2 assimilation and gbs. Because of reduced gbs, low photosynthetic rates were not associated with increased leakiness under nitrogen deficiency. In fact, low nitrogen supply increased bundle sheath cell wall thickness, probably accounting for low gbs and increased estimates of [CO2] at Rubisco sites. Effects of nitrogen on expression of ShPIP2;1 and ShPIP1;2 aquaporins did not explain changes in gbs. Our data revealed that reduced Rubisco carboxylation was the main factor causing low sugarcane photosynthesis at low nitrogen supply, in contrast to the previous report on the importance of an impaired CO2 concentration mechanism under N deficiency. Our findings suggest higher investment of nitrogen into Rubisco protein would favour photosynthesis and plant performance under low nitrogen availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa R Tofanello
- Laboratory of Crop Physiology (LCroP), Dept. Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Larissa M Andrade
- Centro de Cana, Instituto Agronômico (IAC), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Denisele N A Flores-Borges
- Laboratory of Crop Physiology (LCroP), Dept. Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Kiyota
- Laboratory of Crop Physiology (LCroP), Dept. Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Juliana L S Mayer
- Laboratory of Crop Physiology (LCroP), Dept. Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Silvana Creste
- Centro de Cana, Instituto Agronômico (IAC), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo C Machado
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology "Coaracy M. Franco", Center for Research and Development in Ecophysiology and Biophysics, IAC, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Xinyou Yin
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Dept. Plant Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul C Struik
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Dept. Plant Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rafael V Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Crop Physiology (LCroP), Dept. Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil.
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13
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Xu M, Tian X, Ku T, Wang G, Zhang E. Global Identification and Systematic Analysis of Lysine Malonylation in Maize ( Zea mays L.). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:728338. [PMID: 34490025 PMCID: PMC8417889 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.728338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Lysine malonylation is a kind of post-translational modifications (PTMs) discovered in recent years, which plays an important regulatory role in plants. Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major global cereal crop. Immunoblotting revealed that maize was rich in malonylated proteins. We therefore performed a qualitative malonylome analysis to globally identify malonylated proteins in maize. In total, 1,722 uniquely malonylated lysine residues were obtained in 810 proteins. The modified proteins were involved in various biological processes such as photosynthesis, ribosome and oxidative phosphorylation. Notably, a large proportion of the modified proteins (45%) were located in chloroplast. Further functional analysis revealed that 30 proteins in photosynthesis and 15 key enzymes in the Calvin cycle were malonylated, suggesting an indispensable regulatory role of malonylation in photosynthesis and carbon fixation. This work represents the first comprehensive survey of malonylome in maize and provides an important resource for exploring the function of lysine malonylation in physiological regulation of maize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Xu
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiaomin Tian
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Tingting Ku
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Guangyuan Wang
- Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, College of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Enying Zhang
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
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14
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Sundermann EM, Lercher MJ, Heckmann D. Modeling photosynthetic resource allocation connects physiology with evolutionary environments. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15979. [PMID: 34354112 PMCID: PMC8342476 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94903-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The regulation of resource allocation in biological systems observed today is the cumulative result of natural selection in ancestral and recent environments. To what extent are observed resource allocation patterns in different photosynthetic types optimally adapted to current conditions, and to what extent do they reflect ancestral environments? Here, we explore these questions for C3, C4, and C3–C4 intermediate plants of the model genus Flaveria. We developed a detailed mathematical model of carbon fixation, which accounts for various environmental parameters and for energy and nitrogen partitioning across photosynthetic components. This allows us to assess environment-dependent plant physiology and performance as a function of resource allocation patterns. Models of C4 plants optimized for conditions experienced by evolutionary ancestors perform better than models accounting for experimental growth conditions, indicating low phenotypic plasticity. Supporting this interpretation, the model predicts that C4 species need to re-allocate more nitrogen between photosynthetic components than C3 species to adapt to new environments. We thus hypothesize that observed resource distribution patterns in C4 plants still reflect optimality in ancestral environments, allowing the quantitative inference of these environments from today’s plants. Our work allows us to quantify environmental effects on photosynthetic resource allocation and performance in the light of evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther M Sundermann
- Institute for Computer Science and Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martin J Lercher
- Institute for Computer Science and Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - David Heckmann
- Institute for Computer Science and Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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15
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Lyu MJA, Gowik U, Kelly S, Covshoff S, Hibberd JM, Sage RF, Ludwig M, Wong GKS, Westhoff P, Zhu XG. The coordination of major events in C 4 photosynthesis evolution in the genus Flaveria. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15618. [PMID: 34341365 PMCID: PMC8329263 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93381-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a remarkable complex trait, elucidations of the evolutionary trajectory of C4 photosynthesis from its ancestral C3 pathway can help us better understand the generic principles of the evolution of complex traits and guide the engineering of C3 crops for higher yields. Here, we used the genus Flaveria that contains C3, C3-C4, C4-like and C4 species as a system to study the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. We first mapped transcript abundance, protein sequence and morphological features onto the phylogenetic tree of the genus Flaveria, and calculated the evolutionary correlation of different features; we then predicted the relative changes of ancestral nodes of those features to illustrate the major events during the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. We found that gene expression and protein sequence showed consistent modification patterns in the phylogenetic tree. High correlation coefficients ranging from 0.46 to 0.9 among gene expression, protein sequence and morphology were observed. The greatest modification of those different features consistently occurred at the transition between C3-C4 species and C4-like species. Our results show highly coordinated changes in gene expression, protein sequence and morphological features, which support evolutionary major events during the evolution of C4 metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Ju Amy Lyu
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Udo Gowik
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Steve Kelly
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah Covshoff
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Martha Ludwig
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Gane Ka-Shu Wong
- BGI-Shenzhen, Beishan Industrial Zone, Yantian District, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- Department of Medicine and Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute of Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
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16
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Wang Y, Chan KX, Long SP. Towards a dynamic photosynthesis model to guide yield improvement in C4 crops. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 107:343-359. [PMID: 34087011 PMCID: PMC9291162 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The most productive C4 food and biofuel crops, such as Saccharum officinarum (sugarcane), Sorghum bicolor (sorghum) and Zea mays (maize), all use NADP-ME-type C4 photosynthesis. Despite high productivities, these crops fall well short of the theoretical maximum solar conversion efficiency of 6%. Understanding the basis of these inefficiencies is key for bioengineering and breeding strategies to increase the sustainable productivity of these major C4 crops. Photosynthesis is studied predominantly at steady state in saturating light. In field stands of these crops light is continually changing, and often with rapid fluctuations. Although light may change in a second, the adjustment of photosynthesis may take many minutes, leading to inefficiencies. We measured the rates of CO2 uptake and stomatal conductance of maize, sorghum and sugarcane under fluctuating light regimes. The gas exchange results were combined with a new dynamic photosynthesis model to infer the limiting factors under non-steady-state conditions. The dynamic photosynthesis model was developed from an existing C4 metabolic model for maize and extended to include: (i) post-translational regulation of key photosynthetic enzymes and their temperature responses; (ii) dynamic stomatal conductance; and (iii) leaf energy balance. Testing the model outputs against measured rates of leaf CO2 uptake and stomatal conductance in the three C4 crops indicated that Rubisco activase, the pyruvate phosphate dikinase regulatory protein and stomatal conductance are the major limitations to the efficiency of NADP-ME-type C4 photosynthesis during dark-to-high light transitions. We propose that the level of influence of these limiting factors make them targets for bioengineering the improved photosynthetic efficiency of these key crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts InnovationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
| | - Kher Xing Chan
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts InnovationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
| | - Stephen P. Long
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts InnovationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- Departments of Plant Biology and of Crop SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIL61801USA
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterLA1 4YQUK
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17
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Correia PMP, da Silva AB, Vaz M, Carmo-Silva E, Marques da Silva J. Efficient Regulation of CO 2 Assimilation Enables Greater Resilience to High Temperature and Drought in Maize. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:675546. [PMID: 34381474 PMCID: PMC8350398 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.675546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Increasing temperatures and extended drought episodes are among the major constraints affecting food production. Maize has a relatively high temperature optimum for photosynthesis compared to C3 crops, however, the response of this important C4 crop to the combination of heat and drought stress is poorly understood. Here, we hypothesized that resilience to high temperature combined with water deficit (WD) would require efficient regulation of the photosynthetic traits of maize, including the C4-CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM). Two genotypes of maize with contrasting levels of drought and heat tolerance, B73 and P0023, were acclimatized at high temperature (38°C versus 25°C) under well-watered (WW) or WD conditions. The photosynthetic performance was evaluated by gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence, and in vitro activities of key enzymes for carboxylation (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase), decarboxylation (NADP-malic enzyme), and carbon fixation (Rubisco). Both genotypes successfully acclimatized to the high temperature, although with different mechanisms: while B73 maintained the photosynthetic rates by increasing stomatal conductance (gs), P0023 maintained gs and showed limited transpiration. When WD was experienced in combination with high temperatures, limited transpiration allowed water-savings and acted as a drought stress avoidance mechanism. The photosynthetic efficiency in P0023 was sustained by higher phosphorylated PEPC and electron transport rate (ETR) near vascular tissues, supplying chemical energy for an effective CCM. These results suggest that the key traits for drought and heat tolerance in maize are limited transpiration rate, allied with a synchronized regulation of the carbon assimilation metabolism. These findings can be exploited in future breeding efforts aimed at improving maize resilience to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M. P. Correia
- Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Pedro M. P. Correia,
| | - Anabela Bernardes da Silva
- Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Margarida Vaz
- Departamento de Biologia, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture (MED), Environment and Development, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | | | - Jorge Marques da Silva
- Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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18
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Khurshid G, Abbassi AZ, Khalid MF, Gondal MN, Naqvi TA, Shah MM, Chaudhary SU, Ahmad R. A cyanobacterial photorespiratory bypass model to enhance photosynthesis by rerouting photorespiratory pathway in C 3 plants. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20879. [PMID: 33257792 PMCID: PMC7705653 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77894-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants employ photosynthesis to produce sugars for supporting their growth. During photosynthesis, an enzyme Ribulose 1,5 bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) combines its substrate Ribulose 1,5 bisphosphate (RuBP) with CO2 to produce phosphoglycerate (PGA). Alongside, Rubisco also takes up O2 and produce 2-phosphoglycolate (2-PG), a toxic compound broken down into PGA through photorespiration. Photorespiration is not only a resource-demanding process but also results in CO2 loss which affects photosynthetic efficiency in C3 plants. Here, we propose to circumvent photorespiration by adopting the cyanobacterial glycolate decarboxylation pathway into C3 plants. For that, we have integrated the cyanobacterial glycolate decarboxylation pathway into a kinetic model of C3 photosynthetic pathway to evaluate its impact on photosynthesis and photorespiration. Our results show that the cyanobacterial glycolate decarboxylation bypass model exhibits a 10% increase in net photosynthetic rate (A) in comparison with C3 model. Moreover, an increased supply of intercellular CO2 (Ci) from the bypass resulted in a 54.8% increase in PGA while reducing photorespiratory intermediates including glycolate (- 49%) and serine (- 32%). The bypass model, at default conditions, also elucidated a decline in phosphate-based metabolites including RuBP (- 61.3%). The C3 model at elevated level of inorganic phosphate (Pi), exhibited a significant change in RuBP (+ 355%) and PGA (- 98%) which is attributable to the low availability of Ci. Whereas, at elevated Pi, the bypass model exhibited an increase of 73.1% and 33.9% in PGA and RuBP, respectively. Therefore, we deduce a synergistic effect of elevation in CO2 and Pi pool on photosynthesis. We also evaluated the integrative action of CO2, Pi, and Rubisco carboxylation activity (Vcmax) on A and observed that their simultaneous increase raised A by 26%, in the bypass model. Taken together, the study potentiates engineering of cyanobacterial decarboxylation pathway in C3 plants to bypass photorespiration thereby increasing the overall efficiency of photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazal Khurshid
- Department of Biotechnology, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Anum Zeb Abbassi
- Department of Biotechnology, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Farhan Khalid
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Mahnoor Naseer Gondal
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Tatheer Alam Naqvi
- Department of Biotechnology, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Mohammad Maroof Shah
- Department of Biotechnology, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Safee Ullah Chaudhary
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
| | - Raza Ahmad
- Department of Biotechnology, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan.
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19
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The Effects of Moderate and Severe Salinity on Composition and Physiology in the Biomass Crop Miscanthus × giganteus. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9101266. [PMID: 32992753 PMCID: PMC7600718 DOI: 10.3390/plants9101266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Saline land represents a growing resource that could be utilised for growing biomass crops, such as Miscanthus × giganteus (Greef et Deu.), for eliminating competition with staple food crops. However, the response mechanisms to different salinity regimes, in relation to the impact on quality of the harvested biomass and the combustion properties are largely unknown. Herein, the focus was on the salt-induced compositional changes of ion flux and compartmentalization in the rhizome, stems, and leaves in relation to their impact on salinity tolerance and the combustion quality through investigating the photophysiological, morphophysiological, and biochemical responses of M. × giganteus to moderate and a severe salinity. Severe salinity induced an immediate and sustained adverse response with a reduction in biomass yield, photoinhibition, and metabolic limitations in photosynthesis. Moderate salinity resulted in a slower cumulative response with low biomass losses. Biomass composition, variations in ion compartmentalisation and induction of proline were dependent on the severity and duration of salinity. Ash behaviour indices, including the base percentage and base-to-acid ratio, indicated lower corrosion potential and lower risk of slagging under salinity. Understanding the impact of salinity on the potential for growth on saline land may identify new targets for breeding salinity-tolerant bioenergy crops.
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20
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Lyu MJA, Wang Y, Jiang J, Liu X, Chen G, Zhu XG. What Matters for C 4 Transporters: Evolutionary Changes of Phospho enolpyruvate Transporter for C 4 Photosynthesis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:935. [PMID: 32695130 PMCID: PMC7338763 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a complex trait that evolved from its ancestral C3 photosynthesis by recruiting pre-existing genes. These co-opted genes were changed in many aspects compared to their counterparts in C3 species. Most of the evolutionary changes of the C4 shuttle enzymes are well characterized, however, evolutionary changes for the recruited metabolite transporters are less studied. Here we analyzed the evolutionary changes of the shuttle enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) transporter (PPT) during its recruitment from C3 to C4 photosynthesis. Our analysis showed that among the two PPT paralogs PPT1 and PPT2, PPT1 was the copy recruited for C4 photosynthesis in multiple C4 lineages. During C4 evolution, PPT1 gained increased transcript abundance, shifted its expression from predominantly in root to in leaf and from bundle sheath cell to mesophyll cell, and gained more rapid and long-lasting responsiveness to light. Modifications occurred in both regulatory and coding regions in C4 PPT1 as compared to C3 PPT1, however, the PEP transporting function of PPT1 remained. We found that PPT1 of a Flaveria C4 species recruited a MEM1 B submodule in the promoter region, which might be related to the increased transcript abundance of PPT1 in C4 mesophyll cells. The case study of PPT further suggested that high transcript abundance in a proper location is of high priority for PPT to support C4 function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Ju Amy Lyu
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence In Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaling Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence In Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianjun Jiang
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery & Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Xinyu Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence In Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Genyun Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence In Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence In Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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21
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Clark TJ, Guo L, Morgan J, Schwender J. Modeling Plant Metabolism: From Network Reconstruction to Mechanistic Models. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2020; 71:303-326. [PMID: 32017600 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-050718-100221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mathematical modeling of plant metabolism enables the plant science community to understand the organization of plant metabolism, obtain quantitative insights into metabolic functions, and derive engineering strategies for manipulation of metabolism. Among the various modeling approaches, metabolic pathway analysis can dissect the basic functional modes of subsections of core metabolism, such as photorespiration, and reveal how classical definitions of metabolic pathways have overlapping functionality. In the many studies using constraint-based modeling in plants, numerous computational tools are currently available to analyze large-scale and genome-scale metabolic networks. For 13C-metabolic flux analysis, principles of isotopic steady state have been used to study heterotrophic plant tissues, while nonstationary isotope labeling approaches are amenable to the study of photoautotrophic and secondary metabolism. Enzyme kinetic models explore pathways in mechanistic detail, and we discuss different approaches to determine or estimate kinetic parameters. In this review, we describe recent advances and challenges in modeling plant metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa J Clark
- Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA; ,
| | - Longyun Guo
- Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA; ,
| | - John Morgan
- Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA; ,
| | - Jorg Schwender
- Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA; ,
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22
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Bellasio C. A generalised dynamic model of leaf-level C 3 photosynthesis combining light and dark reactions with stomatal behaviour. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2019; 141:99-118. [PMID: 30471008 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-018-0601-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/27/2018] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Global food demand is rising, impelling us to develop strategies for improving the efficiency of photosynthesis. Classical photosynthesis models based on steady-state assumptions are inherently unsuitable for assessing biochemical and stomatal responses to rapid variations in environmental drivers. To identify strategies to increase photosynthetic efficiency, we need models that account for the timing of CO2 assimilation responses to dynamic environmental stimuli. Herein, I present a dynamic process-based photosynthetic model for C3 leaves. The model incorporates both light and dark reactions, coupled with a hydro-mechanical model of stomatal behaviour. The model achieved a stable and realistic rate of light-saturated CO2 assimilation and stomatal conductance. Additionally, it replicated complete typical assimilatory response curves (stepwise change in CO2 and light intensity at different oxygen levels) featuring both short lag times and full photosynthetic acclimation. The model also successfully replicated transient responses to changes in light intensity (light flecks), CO2 concentration, and atmospheric oxygen concentration. This dynamic model is suitable for detailed ecophysiological studies and has potential for superseding the long-dominant steady-state approach to photosynthesis modelling. The model runs as a stand-alone workbook in Microsoft® Excel® and is freely available to download along with a video tutorial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandra Bellasio
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia.
- University of the Balearic Islands, 07122, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain.
- Trees and Timber Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Florence, Italy.
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23
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Éva C, Oszvald M, Tamás L. Current and possible approaches for improving photosynthetic efficiency. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 280:433-440. [PMID: 30824023 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
One of the most important tasks laying ahead today's biotechnology is to improve crop productivity with the aim of meeting increased food and energy demands of humankind. Plant productivity depends on many genetic factors, including life cycle, harvest index, stress tolerance and photosynthetic activity. Many approaches were already tested or suggested to improve either. Limitations of photosynthesis have also been uncovered and efforts been taken to increase its efficiency. Examples include decreasing photosynthetic antennae size, increasing the photosynthetically available light spectrum, countering oxygenase activity of Rubisco by implementing C4 photosynthesis to C3 plants and altering source to sink transport of metabolites. A natural and effective photosynthetic adaptation, the sugar alcohol metabolism got however remarkably little attention in the last years, despite being comparably efficient as C4, and can be considered easier to introduce to new species. We also propose root to shoot carbon-dioxide transport as a means to improve photosynthetic performance and drought tolerance at the same time. Different suggestions and successful examples are covered here for improving plant photosynthesis as well as novel perspectives are presented for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Csaba Éva
- Applied Genomics Department, Agricultural Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Martonvásár 2462, Hungary.
| | - Mária Oszvald
- Plant Biology and Crop Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - László Tamás
- Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Plant Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117, Hungary
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24
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Alonso-Cantabrana H, Cousins AB, Danila F, Ryan T, Sharwood RE, von Caemmerer S, Furbank RT. Diffusion of CO 2 across the Mesophyll-Bundle Sheath Cell Interface in a C 4 Plant with Genetically Reduced PEP Carboxylase Activity. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 178:72-81. [PMID: 30018172 PMCID: PMC6130029 DOI: 10.1104/pp.18.00618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), localized to the cytosol of the mesophyll cell, catalyzes the first carboxylation step of the C4 photosynthetic pathway. Here, we used RNA interference to target the cytosolic photosynthetic PEPC isoform in Setaria viridis and isolated independent transformants with very low PEPC activities. These plants required high ambient CO2 concentrations for growth, consistent with the essential role of PEPC in C4 photosynthesis. The combination of estimating direct CO2 fixation by the bundle sheath using gas-exchange measurements and modeling C4 photosynthesis with low PEPC activity allowed the calculation of bundle sheath conductance to CO2 diffusion (gbs ) in the progeny of these plants. Measurements made at a range of temperatures suggested no or negligible effect of temperature on gbs depending on the technique used to calculate gbs Anatomical measurements revealed that plants with reduced PEPC activity had reduced cell wall thickness and increased plasmodesmata (PD) density at the mesophyll-bundle sheath (M-BS) cell interface, whereas we observed little difference in these parameters at the mesophyll-mesophyll cell interface. The increased PD density at the M-BS interface was largely driven by an increase in the number of PD pit fields (cluster of PDs) rather than an increase in PD per pit field or the size of pit fields. The correlation of gbs with bundle sheath surface area per leaf area and PD area per M-BS area showed that these parameters and cell wall thickness are important determinants of gbs It is intriguing to speculate that PD development is responsive to changes in C4 photosynthetic flux.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Alonso-Cantabrana
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Asaph B Cousins
- School of Biological Sciences, Molecular Plant Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-4236
| | - Florence Danila
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Timothy Ryan
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Robert E Sharwood
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Susanne von Caemmerer
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Robert T Furbank
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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25
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Nuccio ML, Potter L, Stiegelmeyer SM, Curley J, Cohn J, Wittich PE, Tan X, Davis J, Ni J, Trullinger J, Hall R, Bate NJ. Strategies and tools to improve crop productivity by targeting photosynthesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0377. [PMID: 28808096 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Crop productivity needs to substantially increase to meet global food and feed demand for a rapidly growing world population. Agricultural technology developers are pursuing a variety of approaches based on both traditional technologies such as genetic improvement, pest control and mechanization as well as new technologies such as genomics, gene manipulation and environmental modelling to develop crops that are capable of meeting growing demand. Photosynthesis is a key biochemical process that, many suggest, is not yet optimized for industrial agriculture or the modern global environment. We are interested in identifying control points in maize photoassimilation that are amenable to gene manipulation to improve overall productivity. Our approach encompasses: developing and using novel gene discovery techniques, translating our discoveries into traits and evaluating each trait in a stepwise manner that reflects a modern production environment. Our aim is to provide step change advancement in overall crop productivity and deliver this new technology into the hands of growers.This article is part of the themed issue 'Enhancing photosynthesis in crop plants: targets for improvement'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Nuccio
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Laura Potter
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Suzy M Stiegelmeyer
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Joseph Curley
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Jonathan Cohn
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Peter E Wittich
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Xiaoping Tan
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Jimena Davis
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Junjian Ni
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Jon Trullinger
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Rick Hall
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
| | - Nicholas J Bate
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC., 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 541-8500, USA
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26
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Increased Vegetation Greenness Aggravates Water Conflicts during Lasting and Intensifying Drought in the Poyang Lake Watershed, China. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9010024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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27
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Lee Y, Nishizawa T, Takemoto M, Kumazaki K, Yamashita K, Hirata K, Minoda A, Nagatoishi S, Tsumoto K, Ishitani R, Nureki O. Structure of the triose-phosphate/phosphate translocator reveals the basis of substrate specificity. NATURE PLANTS 2017; 3:825-832. [PMID: 28970497 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-017-0022-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The triose-phosphate/phosphate translocator (TPT) catalyses the strict 1:1 exchange of triose-phosphate, 3-phosphoglycerate and inorganic phosphate across the chloroplast envelope, and plays crucial roles in photosynthesis. Despite rigorous study for more than 40 years, the molecular mechanism of TPT is poorly understood because of the lack of structural information. Here we report crystal structures of TPT bound to two different substrates, 3-phosphoglycerate and inorganic phosphate, in occluded conformations. The structures reveal that TPT adopts a 10-transmembrane drug/metabolite transporter fold. Both substrates are bound within the same central pocket, where conserved lysine, arginine and tyrosine residues recognize the shared phosphate group. A structural comparison with the outward-open conformation of the bacterial drug/metabolite transporter suggests a rocker-switch motion of helix bundles, and molecular dynamics simulations support a model in which this rocker-switch motion is tightly coupled to the substrate binding, to ensure strict 1:1 exchange. These results reveal the unique mechanism of sugar phosphate/phosphate exchange by TPT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongchan Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Nishizawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
- Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan
| | - Mizuki Takemoto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Kaoru Kumazaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | | | - Kunio Hirata
- Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
| | - Ayumi Minoda
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan
| | - Satoru Nagatoishi
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
| | - Kouhei Tsumoto
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
| | - Ryuichiro Ishitani
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Osamu Nureki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan.
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28
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Abstract
Dynamic systems modeling is a method to study systematic properties of a complex system. The basic principles, procedures, and tools available to develop a dynamic systems model of complex metabolic processes are detailed. Here, a photosynthetic carbon metabolism model, which includes the Calvin Benson cycle, photorespiration, and starch and sucrose synthesis pathways, is used as an example to illustrate the whole process of model development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglong Zhao
- Plant Systems Biology Group, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fenglin Road 500, Shanghai, 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yi Xiao
- Plant Systems Biology Group, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fenglin Road 500, Shanghai, 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- Plant Systems Biology Group, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fenglin Road 500, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- Plant Systems Biology Groups, CAS Key Laboratory for Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, CAS, Room 102, Physiology Building, Yueyang Road 320, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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29
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ePlant for quantitative and predictive plant science research in the big data era—Lay the foundation for the future model guided crop breeding, engineering and agronomy. QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40484-017-0110-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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30
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Marshall-Colon A, Long SP, Allen DK, Allen G, Beard DA, Benes B, von Caemmerer S, Christensen AJ, Cox DJ, Hart JC, Hirst PM, Kannan K, Katz DS, Lynch JP, Millar AJ, Panneerselvam B, Price ND, Prusinkiewicz P, Raila D, Shekar RG, Shrivastava S, Shukla D, Srinivasan V, Stitt M, Turk MJ, Voit EO, Wang Y, Yin X, Zhu XG. Crops In Silico: Generating Virtual Crops Using an Integrative and Multi-scale Modeling Platform. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:786. [PMID: 28555150 PMCID: PMC5430029 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Multi-scale models can facilitate whole plant simulations by linking gene networks, protein synthesis, metabolic pathways, physiology, and growth. Whole plant models can be further integrated with ecosystem, weather, and climate models to predict how various interactions respond to environmental perturbations. These models have the potential to fill in missing mechanistic details and generate new hypotheses to prioritize directed engineering efforts. Outcomes will potentially accelerate improvement of crop yield, sustainability, and increase future food security. It is time for a paradigm shift in plant modeling, from largely isolated efforts to a connected community that takes advantage of advances in high performance computing and mechanistic understanding of plant processes. Tools for guiding future crop breeding and engineering, understanding the implications of discoveries at the molecular level for whole plant behavior, and improved prediction of plant and ecosystem responses to the environment are urgently needed. The purpose of this perspective is to introduce Crops in silico (cropsinsilico.org), an integrative and multi-scale modeling platform, as one solution that combines isolated modeling efforts toward the generation of virtual crops, which is open and accessible to the entire plant biology community. The major challenges involved both in the development and deployment of a shared, multi-scale modeling platform, which are summarized in this prospectus, were recently identified during the first Crops in silico Symposium and Workshop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Marshall-Colon
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Stephen P. Long
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Douglas K. Allen
- United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service–Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. LouisMO, USA
| | - Gabrielle Allen
- Department of Astronomy–College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Daniel A. Beard
- Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann ArborMI, USA
| | - Bedrich Benes
- Department of Computer Graphics Technology, Purdue University, West LafayetteIN, USA
| | - Susanne von Caemmerer
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, ActonACT, Australia
| | - A. J. Christensen
- National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Donna J. Cox
- National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - John C. Hart
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Peter M. Hirst
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West LafayetteIN, USA
| | - Kavya Kannan
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Daniel S. Katz
- National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Jonathan P. Lynch
- Department of Plant Science, Pennsylvania State University, University ParkPA, USA
- Centre for Plant Integrative Biology, University of NottinghamNottingham, UK
| | - Andrew J. Millar
- SynthSys and School of Biological Sciences, Edinburgh UniversityEdinburgh, UK
| | - Balaji Panneerselvam
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | | | | | - David Raila
- National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Rachel G. Shekar
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Stuti Shrivastava
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Diwakar Shukla
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Venkatraman Srinivasan
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Mark Stitt
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyGolm, Germany
| | - Matthew J. Turk
- School of Information Science, University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Eberhard O. Voit
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University, AtlantaGA, USA
| | - Yu Wang
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign, UrbanaIL, USA
| | - Xinyou Yin
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University & ResearchWageningen, Netherlands
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Computational Biology–State Key Laboratory for Hybrid Rice, Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai, China
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31
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Wang S, Tholen D, Zhu X. C 4 photosynthesis in C 3 rice: a theoretical analysis of biochemical and anatomical factors. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2017; 40:80-94. [PMID: 27628301 PMCID: PMC6139432 DOI: 10.1111/pce.12834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Revised: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Engineering C4 photosynthesis into rice has been considered a promising strategy to increase photosynthesis and yield. A question that remains to be answered is whether expressing a C4 metabolic cycle into a C3 leaf structure and without removing the C3 background metabolism improves photosynthetic efficiency. To explore this question, we developed a 3D reaction diffusion model of bundle-sheath and connected mesophyll cells in a C3 rice leaf. Our results show that integrating a C4 metabolic pathway into rice leaves with a C3 metabolism and mesophyll structure may lead to an improved photosynthesis under current ambient CO2 concentration. We analysed a number of physiological factors that influence the CO2 uptake rate, which include the chloroplast surface area exposed to intercellular air space, bundle-sheath cell wall thickness, bundle-sheath chloroplast envelope permeability, Rubisco concentration and the energy partitioning between C3 and C4 cycles. Among these, partitioning of energy between C3 and C4 photosynthesis and the partitioning of Rubisco between mesophyll and bundle-sheath cells are decisive factors controlling photosynthetic efficiency in an engineered C3 -C4 leaf. The implications of the results for the sequence of C4 evolution are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS‐MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200031China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Danny Tholen
- Institute of Botany, Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, BOKU ViennaGregor‐Mendel‐Str. 33A‐1180ViennaAustria
| | - Xin‐Guang Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS‐MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200031China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
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32
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Huang P, Studer AJ, Schnable JC, Kellogg EA, Brutnell TP. Cross species selection scans identify components of C4 photosynthesis in the grasses. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2017; 68:127-135. [PMID: 27436281 PMCID: PMC5429014 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is perhaps one of the best examples of convergent adaptive evolution with over 25 independent origins in the grasses (Poaceae) alone. The availability of high quality grass genome sequences presents new opportunities to explore the mechanisms underlying this complex trait using evolutionary biology-based approaches. In this study, we performed genome-wide cross-species selection scans in C4 lineages to facilitate discovery of C4 genes. The study was enabled by the well conserved collinearity of grass genomes and the recently sequenced genome of a C3 panicoid grass, Dichanthelium oligosanthes This method, in contrast to previous studies, does not rely on any a priori knowledge of the genes that contribute to biochemical or anatomical innovations associated with C4 photosynthesis. We identified a list of 88 candidate genes that include both known and potentially novel components of the C4 pathway. This set includes the carbon shuttle enzymes pyruvate, phosphate dikinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and NADP malic enzyme as well as several predicted transporter proteins that likely play an essential role in promoting the flux of metabolites between the bundle sheath and mesophyll cells. Importantly, this approach demonstrates the application of fundamental molecular evolution principles to dissect the genetic basis of a complex photosynthetic adaptation in plants. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the output of the selection scans can be combined with expression data to provide additional power to prioritize candidate gene lists and suggest novel opportunities for pathway engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pu Huang
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 N Warson Rd, St Louis, MO 63132, USA
| | - Anthony J Studer
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - James C Schnable
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Kellogg
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 N Warson Rd, St Louis, MO 63132, USA
| | - Thomas P Brutnell
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 N Warson Rd, St Louis, MO 63132, USA
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33
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Bellasio C. A generalized stoichiometric model of C3, C2, C2+C4, and C4 photosynthetic metabolism. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2017; 68:269-282. [PMID: 27535993 PMCID: PMC5853385 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The goal of suppressing photorespiration in crops to maximize assimilation and yield is stimulating considerable interest among researchers looking to bioengineer carbon-concentrating mechanisms into C3 plants. However, detailed quantification of the biochemical activities in the bundle sheath is lacking. This work presents a general stoichiometric model for C3, C2, C2+C4, and C4 assimilation (SMA) in which energetics, metabolite traffic, and the different decarboxylating enzymes (NAD-dependent malic enzyme, NADP-dependent malic enzyme, or phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) are explicitly included. The SMA can be used to refine experimental data analysis or formulate hypothetical scenarios, and is coded in a freely available Microsoft Excel workbook. The theoretical underpinnings and general model behaviour are analysed with a range of simulations, including (i) an analysis of C3, C2, C2+C4, and C4 in operational conditions; (ii) manipulating photorespiration in a C3 plant; (iii) progressively upregulating a C2 shuttle in C3 photosynthesis; (iv) progressively upregulating a C4 cycle in C2 photosynthesis; and (v) manipulating processes that are hypothesized to respond to transient environmental inputs. Results quantify the functional trade-offs, such as the electron transport needed to meet ATP/NADPH demand, as well as metabolite traffic, inherent to different subtypes. The SMA refines our understanding of the stoichiometry of photosynthesis, which is of paramount importance for basic and applied research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandra Bellasio
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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34
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Retta M, Yin X, van der Putten PEL, Cantre D, Berghuijs HNC, Ho QT, Verboven P, Struik PC, Nicolaï BM. Impact of anatomical traits of maize (Zea mays L.) leaf as affected by nitrogen supply and leaf age on bundle sheath conductance. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 252:205-214. [PMID: 27717455 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2016.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Revised: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The mechanism of photosynthesis in C4 crops depends on the archetypal Kranz-anatomy. To examine how the leaf anatomy, as altered by nitrogen supply and leaf age, affects the bundle sheath conductance (gbs), maize (Zea mays L.) plants were grown under three contrasting nitrogen levels. Combined gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were done on fully grown leaves at two leaf ages. The measured data were analysed using a biochemical model of C4 photosynthesis to estimate gbs. The leaf microstructure and ultrastructure were quantified using images obtained from micro-computed tomography and microscopy. There was a strong positive correlation between gbs and leaf nitrogen content (LNC) while old leaves had lower gbs than young leaves. Leaf thickness, bundle sheath cell wall thickness and surface area of bundle sheath cells per unit leaf area (Sb) correlated well with gbs although they were not significantly affected by LNC. As a result, the increase of gbs with LNC was little explained by the alteration of leaf anatomy. In contrast, the combined effect of LNC and leaf age on Sb was responsible for differences in gbs between young leaves and old leaves. Future investigations should consider changes at the level of plasmodesmata and membranes along the CO2 leakage pathway to unravel LNC and age effects further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moges Retta
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Xinyou Yin
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands; BioSolar Cells, P.O. Box 98, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter E L van der Putten
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands; BioSolar Cells, P.O. Box 98, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Denis Cantre
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Herman N C Berghuijs
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands; BioSolar Cells, P.O. Box 98, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Quang Tri Ho
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pieter Verboven
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Paul C Struik
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands; BioSolar Cells, P.O. Box 98, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bart M Nicolaï
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
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35
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Danila FR, Quick WP, White RG, Furbank RT, von Caemmerer S. The Metabolite Pathway between Bundle Sheath and Mesophyll: Quantification of Plasmodesmata in Leaves of C3 and C4 Monocots. THE PLANT CELL 2016; 28:1461-71. [PMID: 27288224 PMCID: PMC4944413 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.16.00155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Revised: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is characterized by a CO2-concentrating mechanism between mesophyll (M) and bundle sheath (BS) cells of leaves. This generates high metabolic fluxes between these cells, through interconnecting plasmodesmata (PD). Quantification of these symplastic fluxes for modeling studies requires accurate quantification of PD, which has proven difficult using transmission electron microscopy. Our new quantitative technique combines scanning electron microscopy and 3D immunolocalization in intact leaf tissues to compare PD density on cell interfaces in leaves of C3 (rice [Oryza sativa] and wheat [Triticum aestivum]) and C4 (maize [Zea mays] and Setaria viridis) monocot species. Scanning electron microscopy quantification of PD density revealed that C4 species had approximately twice the number of PD per pitfield area compared with their C3 counterparts. 3D immunolocalization of callose at pitfields using confocal microscopy showed that pitfield area per M-BS interface area was 5 times greater in C4 species. Thus, the two C4 species had up to nine times more PD per M-BS interface area (S. viridis, 9.3 PD µm(-2); maize, 7.5 PD µm(-2); rice 1.0 PD µm(-2); wheat, 2.6 PD µm(-2)). Using these anatomical data and measured photosynthetic rates in these C4 species, we have now calculated symplastic C4 acid flux per PD across the M-BS interface. These quantitative data are essential for modeling studies and gene discovery strategies needed to introduce aspects of C4 photosynthesis to C3 crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence R Danila
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia International Rice Research Institute, Laguna 4030, Philippines
| | - William Paul Quick
- International Rice Research Institute, Laguna 4030, Philippines University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | | | - Robert T Furbank
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia CSIRO Agriculture, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Susanne von Caemmerer
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
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36
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von Caemmerer S, Furbank RT. Strategies for improving C4 photosynthesis. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 31:125-34. [PMID: 27127850 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Revised: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Recent activities to improve photosynthetic performance in crop plants has focused mainly on C3 photosynthesis where there are clear identified targets such as improving Rubisco kinetics, installation of a CO2 concentrating mechanism and alleviating limitations in chloroplast electron transport. Here we address strategies to improve photosynthetic performance in C4 plants, which utilize a CO2 concentrating mechanism, having evolved a complex blend of anatomy and biochemistry to achieve this. While the limitations to photosynthetic flux are not as well studied in C4 plants, work in transgenic Flaveria bidentis, a transformable model C4 dicot, and recent transcriptional analysis of leaves from diverse C4 plants, provides several gene candidates for improvement of carbon metabolism (such as pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and Rubisco) and for access of CO2 to phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in the mesophyll cells (such as carbonic anhydrase and CO2 porins). Chloroplast electron transport in C4 plants is shared between the two cell types, providing opportunities not only to alleviate limitations to flux through intersystem electron transport by targeting nuclear encoded proteins in the cytochrome (Cyt) b6/f complex, but in better sharing the harvesting of light energy between mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts. Gene candidates for improvement of C4 photosynthesis could be utilized either through transgenic approaches or via mining natural allelic variation in sequenced populations of crop species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne von Caemmerer
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - Robert T Furbank
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia
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Bellasio C, Beerling DJ, Griffiths H. Deriving C4 photosynthetic parameters from combined gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence using an Excel tool: theory and practice. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2016; 39:1164-79. [PMID: 26286697 DOI: 10.1111/pce.12626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The higher photosynthetic potential of C4 plants has led to extensive research over the past 50 years, including C4 -dominated natural biomes, crops such as maize, or for evaluating the transfer of C4 traits into C3 lineages. Photosynthetic gas exchange can be measured in air or in a 2% Oxygen mixture using readily available commercial gas exchange and modulated PSII fluorescence systems. Interpretation of these data, however, requires an understanding (or the development) of various modelling approaches, which limit the use by non-specialists. In this paper we present an accessible summary of the theory behind the analysis and derivation of C4 photosynthetic parameters, and provide a freely available Excel Fitting Tool (EFT), making rigorous C4 data analysis accessible to a broader audience. Outputs include those defining C4 photochemical and biochemical efficiency, the rate of photorespiration, bundle sheath conductance to CO2 diffusion and the in vivo biochemical constants for PEP carboxylase. The EFT compares several methodological variants proposed by different investigators, allowing users to choose the level of complexity required to interpret data. We provide a complete analysis of gas exchange data on maize (as a model C4 organism and key global crop) to illustrate the approaches, their analysis and interpretation. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandra Bellasio
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - David J Beerling
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Howard Griffiths
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
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38
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Zhu XG, Lynch JP, LeBauer DS, Millar AJ, Stitt M, Long SP. Plants in silico: why, why now and what?--an integrative platform for plant systems biology research. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2016; 39:1049-57. [PMID: 26523481 DOI: 10.1111/pce.12673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2015] [Accepted: 10/17/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
A paradigm shift is needed and timely in moving plant modelling from largely isolated efforts to a connected community endeavour that can take full advantage of advances in computer science and in mechanistic understanding of plant processes. Plants in silico (Psi) envisions a digital representation of layered dynamic modules, linking from gene networks and metabolic pathways through to cellular organization, tissue, organ and whole plant development, together with resource capture and use efficiency in dynamic competitive environments, ultimately allowing a mechanistically rich simulation of the plant or of a community of plants in silico. The concept is to integrate models or modules from different layers of organization spanning from genome to phenome to ecosystem in a modular framework allowing the use of modules of varying mechanistic detail representing the same biological process. Developments in high-performance computing, functional knowledge of plants, the internet and open-source version controlled software make achieving the concept realistic. Open source will enhance collaboration and move towards testing and consensus on quantitative theoretical frameworks. Importantly, Psi provides a quantitative knowledge framework where the implications of a discovery at one level, for example, single gene function or developmental response, can be examined at the whole plant or even crop and natural ecosystem levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Guang Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Jonathan P Lynch
- Department of Plant Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - David S LeBauer
- Institute for Genomic Biology and National Center for Supercomputer Applications, University of Illinois, 1206 W Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Andrew J Millar
- SynthSys and School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, UK
| | - Mark Stitt
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, D-14476, Potsdam Gölm, Germany
| | - Stephen P Long
- Departments of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology, Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
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39
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Retta M, Ho QT, Yin X, Verboven P, Berghuijs HNC, Struik PC, Nicolaï BM. A two-dimensional microscale model of gas exchange during photosynthesis in maize (Zea mays L.) leaves. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 246:37-51. [PMID: 26993234 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2016.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 12/31/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
CO2 exchange in leaves of maize (Zea mays L.) was examined using a microscale model of combined gas diffusion and C4 photosynthesis kinetics at the leaf tissue level. Based on a generalized scheme of photosynthesis in NADP-malic enzyme type C4 plants, the model accounted for CO2 diffusion in a leaf tissue, CO2 hydration and assimilation in mesophyll cells, CO2 release from decarboxylation of C4 acids, CO2 fixation in bundle sheath cells and CO2 retro-diffusion from bundle sheath cells. The transport equations were solved over a realistic 2-D geometry of the Kranz anatomy obtained from light microscopy images. The predicted responses of photosynthesis rate to changes in ambient CO2 and irradiance compared well with those obtained from gas exchange measurements. A sensitivity analysis showed that the CO2 permeability of the mesophyll-bundle sheath and airspace-mesophyll interfaces strongly affected the rate of photosynthesis and bundle sheath conductance. Carbonic anhydrase influenced the rate of photosynthesis, especially at low intercellular CO2 levels. In addition, the suberin layer at the exposed surface of the bundle sheath cells was found beneficial in reducing the retro-diffusion. The model may serve as a tool to investigate CO2 diffusion further in relation to the Kranz anatomy in C4 plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moges Retta
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Quang Tri Ho
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Xinyou Yin
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands; BioSolar Cells, P.O. Box 98, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Pieter Verboven
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Herman N C Berghuijs
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands; BioSolar Cells, P.O. Box 98, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul C Struik
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands; BioSolar Cells, P.O. Box 98, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bart M Nicolaï
- BIOSYST-MeBioS, KU Leuven/Flanders Center of Postharvest Technology, Willem de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
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Bogart E, Myers CR. Multiscale Metabolic Modeling of C4 Plants: Connecting Nonlinear Genome-Scale Models to Leaf-Scale Metabolism in Developing Maize Leaves. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151722. [PMID: 26990967 PMCID: PMC4807923 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
C4 plants, such as maize, concentrate carbon dioxide in a specialized compartment surrounding the veins of their leaves to improve the efficiency of carbon dioxide assimilation. Nonlinear relationships between carbon dioxide and oxygen levels and reaction rates are key to their physiology but cannot be handled with standard techniques of constraint-based metabolic modeling. We demonstrate that incorporating these relationships as constraints on reaction rates and solving the resulting nonlinear optimization problem yields realistic predictions of the response of C4 systems to environmental and biochemical perturbations. Using a new genome-scale reconstruction of maize metabolism, we build an 18000-reaction, nonlinearly constrained model describing mesophyll and bundle sheath cells in 15 segments of the developing maize leaf, interacting via metabolite exchange, and use RNA-seq and enzyme activity measurements to predict spatial variation in metabolic state by a novel method that optimizes correlation between fluxes and expression data. Though such correlations are known to be weak in general, we suggest that developmental gradients may be particularly suited to the inference of metabolic fluxes from expression data, and we demonstrate that our method predicts fluxes that achieve high correlation with the data, successfully capture the experimentally observed base-to-tip transition between carbon-importing tissue and carbon-exporting tissue, and include a nonzero growth rate, in contrast to prior results from similar methods in other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli Bogart
- Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
- Institute of Biotechnology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Christopher R. Myers
- Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
- Institute of Biotechnology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
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41
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Napier JD, Mordecai EA, Heckman RW. The role of drought- and disturbance-mediated competition in shaping community responses to varied environments. Oecologia 2016; 181:621-32. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3582-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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42
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Xing S, Kang L, Xu Q, Fan Y, Liu W, Zhu C, Song Z, Wang Q, Yan J, Li J, Sang T. The Coordination of Gene Expression within Photosynthesis Pathway for Acclimation of C4 Energy Crop Miscanthus lutarioriparius. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:109. [PMID: 26904072 PMCID: PMC4746358 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
As a promising candidate for the second-generation C4 energy crop, Miscanthus lutarioriparius has well acclimated to the water-limited and high-light Loess Plateau in China by improving photosynthesis rate and water use efficiency (WUE) compared to its native habitat along Yangtze River. Photosynthetic genes were demonstrated as one major category of the candidate genes underlying the physiological superiority. To further study how photosynthetic genes interact to improve the acclimation potential of M. lutarioriparius, population expression patterns within photosynthesis pathway were explored between one mild environment and one harsh environment. We found that 108 transcripts in assembled transcriptome of M. lutarioriparius were highly similar to genes in three Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) photosynthesis pathways of sorghum and maize. Phylogenetic analyses using sorghum, maize, rice, and Arabidopsis genes of dark reaction identified 23 orthologs and 30 paralogs of M. lutarioriparius photosynthetic genes. These genes were also clustered into two kinds of expression pattern. 87% of transcripts in dark reaction were up-regulated and all 14 chloroplast-encoded transcripts in light reaction increased degradation in the harsh environment compared to the mild environment. Moreover, 80.8% of photosynthetic transcripts were coordinated at transcription level under the two environments. Interestingly, LHCI and PSI were significantly correlated with F-ATPase and C4 cycle. Overall, this study indicates the coordinated expression between cyclic electron transport (consisting of LHCI, PSI, and ATPase) and CO2-concentrating mechanism (C4 cycle) could account for photosynthesis plasticity on M. lutarioriparius acclimation potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilai Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Lifang Kang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Qin Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Yangyang Fan
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Caiyun Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Zhihong Song
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Qian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Juan Yan
- Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesWuhan, China
| | - Jianqiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesWuhan, China
| | - Tao Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
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43
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Chu C. A New Era for Crop Improvement: From Model-Guided Rationale Design to Practical Engineering. MOLECULAR PLANT 2015; 8:1299-1301. [PMID: 26188151 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2015.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Revised: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 07/12/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Chengcai Chu
- The State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center of Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China.
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44
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Long SP, Marshall-Colon A, Zhu XG. Meeting the global food demand of the future by engineering crop photosynthesis and yield potential. Cell 2015; 161:56-66. [PMID: 25815985 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 476] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Increase in demand for our primary foodstuffs is outstripping increase in yields, an expanding gap that indicates large potential food shortages by mid-century. This comes at a time when yield improvements are slowing or stagnating as the approaches of the Green Revolution reach their biological limits. Photosynthesis, which has been improved little in crops and falls far short of its biological limit, emerges as the key remaining route to increase the genetic yield potential of our major crops. Thus, there is a timely need to accelerate our understanding of the photosynthetic process in crops to allow informed and guided improvements via in-silico-assisted genetic engineering. Potential and emerging approaches to improving crop photosynthetic efficiency are discussed, and the new tools needed to realize these changes are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen P Long
- Department of Plant Biology and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Amy Marshall-Colon
- Department of Plant Biology and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai 200031, PRC; State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Changsha, Hunan 410125, PRC
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45
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Fluxes through plant metabolic networks: measurements, predictions, insights and challenges. Biochem J 2015; 465:27-38. [PMID: 25631681 DOI: 10.1042/bj20140984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Although the flows of material through metabolic networks are central to cell function, they are not easy to measure other than at the level of inputs and outputs. This is particularly true in plant cells, where the network spans multiple subcellular compartments and where the network may function either heterotrophically or photoautotrophically. For many years, kinetic modelling of pathways provided the only method for describing the operation of fragments of the network. However, more recently, it has become possible to map the fluxes in central carbon metabolism using the stable isotope labelling techniques of metabolic flux analysis (MFA), and to predict intracellular fluxes using constraints-based modelling procedures such as flux balance analysis (FBA). These approaches were originally developed for the analysis of microbial metabolism, but over the last decade, they have been adapted for the more demanding analysis of plant metabolic networks. Here, the principal features of MFA and FBA as applied to plants are outlined, followed by a discussion of the insights that have been gained into plant metabolic networks through the application of these time-consuming and non-trivial methods. The discussion focuses on how a system-wide view of plant metabolism has increased our understanding of network structure, metabolic perturbations and the provision of reducing power and energy for cell function. Current methodological challenges that limit the scope of plant MFA are discussed and particular emphasis is placed on the importance of developing methods for cell-specific MFA.
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46
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Xin CP, Tholen D, Devloo V, Zhu XG. The benefits of photorespiratory bypasses: how can they work? PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 167:574-85. [PMID: 25516604 PMCID: PMC4326737 DOI: 10.1104/pp.114.248013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Bypassing the photorespiratory pathway is regarded as a way to increase carbon assimilation and, correspondingly, biomass production in C3 crops. Here, the benefits of three published photorespiratory bypass strategies are systemically explored using a systems-modeling approach. Our analysis shows that full decarboxylation of glycolate during photorespiration would decrease photosynthesis, because a large amount of the released CO2 escapes back to the atmosphere. Furthermore, we show that photosynthesis can be enhanced by lowering the energy demands of photorespiration and by relocating photorespiratory CO2 release into the chloroplasts. The conductance of the chloroplast membranes to CO2 is a key feature determining the benefit of the relocation of photorespiratory CO2 release. Although our results indicate that the benefit of photorespiratory bypasses can be improved by increasing sedoheptulose bisphosphatase activity and/or increasing the flux through the bypass, the effectiveness of such approaches depends on the complex regulation between photorespiration and other metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Peng Xin
- Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences-German Max Planck Society Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China (C.-P.X., D.T., V.D., X.-G.Z.);Shanghai Botanical Garden, Shanghai 200231, China (C.-P.X.);Institute of Botany, Department of Integrative Biology, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, A-1180 Vienna, Austria (D.T.); andState Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice Research, Changsha, Hunan Province 410125, China (X.-G.Z.)
| | - Danny Tholen
- Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences-German Max Planck Society Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China (C.-P.X., D.T., V.D., X.-G.Z.);Shanghai Botanical Garden, Shanghai 200231, China (C.-P.X.);Institute of Botany, Department of Integrative Biology, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, A-1180 Vienna, Austria (D.T.); andState Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice Research, Changsha, Hunan Province 410125, China (X.-G.Z.)
| | - Vincent Devloo
- Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences-German Max Planck Society Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China (C.-P.X., D.T., V.D., X.-G.Z.);Shanghai Botanical Garden, Shanghai 200231, China (C.-P.X.);Institute of Botany, Department of Integrative Biology, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, A-1180 Vienna, Austria (D.T.); andState Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice Research, Changsha, Hunan Province 410125, China (X.-G.Z.)
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences-German Max Planck Society Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China (C.-P.X., D.T., V.D., X.-G.Z.);Shanghai Botanical Garden, Shanghai 200231, China (C.-P.X.);Institute of Botany, Department of Integrative Biology, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, A-1180 Vienna, Austria (D.T.); andState Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice Research, Changsha, Hunan Province 410125, China (X.-G.Z.)
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